Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.09.2016, Blaðsíða 46

Art Exhibition46The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 14 — 2016
In the Ekkisens basement gallery
on Bergstaðastræti, Ýr Jóhanns-
dóttir sits organising a large pile
of colourful sweaters that will
form her solo exhibition, entitled
‘Sweater Story’. From within the
stack of folded yarn, some features
are visible jutting out: an embroi-
dered hand here, a vivid knitted
eyeball there, and a bright pink
brain somewhere else. Even be-
fore they’re hung up on display,
her work is an eye-catching and
intriguing sight.
Ýr started the labour-intensive
work of creating the collection at
the end of May. “I make them on
an analogue knitting machine,”
she explains. “Then I hand-dec-
orate them with embroidery, or
some pieces of hand-knitted or
machine-knitted cloth.”
Her machine is something of
a relic, since superseded by more
modern technology, but analogue
machines have become something
of a retro classic. “They aren’t even
made any more,” explains Ýr. “It’s
something that a grandma might
own—like a 60s housewife thing.
But they’re popping up more now.
I think they might go into produc-
tion again. Mine is from the 90s,
and that’s a really new model!”
Moon party
But the work itself is anything but
traditional. Cartoonish features
are strewn over the brightly co-
loured garments, all of which were
made from scratch by Ýr. “I tried to
count how much yarn I have used,”
she smiles, “and it was 108km. I’m
going to calculate it all the time,
and when I reach the moon, I’ll
throw a party.”
The eleven garments together
tell a story about two sweaters
that meet, and their adventures
together, but Ýr is reluctant to give
away too many spoilers before her
opening, saying: “I want it to be a
surprise!”
The next day, the sweaters go on
sale. “If I buy an old sweater and
decorate it, I sell them for almost
20,000 ISK,” she explains, “but be-
cause these are made from scratch
I’m going to sell the smallest one
for 35,000 ISK, and the most ex-
pensive, biggest one for 55,000 ISK.
People think it’s really normal to
buy paintings for this kind of mon-
ey—but when it’s clothes they can
get a bit sceptical.”
Walking art
But the price reflects the inten-
sive work that goes into each piece.
“Each sweater is fifteen hours in
the making,” says Ýr, “And that’s
not counting however long it takes
to have the ideas. Knitting a big
mouth decoration takes five hours,
then the embroidery, and so on.
It ’s fun to illustrate with em-
broidery—it’s like drawing really
slowly.”
And while the pieces are art, Ýr
is happiest if they’re worn rather
than closeted away. “I want them
to go out—it’s like walking art,
that’s how I think about it,” she
explains. “I really like it when cool
people buy my clothes, because I
know they’ll be out and about.
Right now, they’re all together and
they make a story—but then they’ll
part and walk around, and never
meet again probably.”
The Wearable Art
Of Ýr Jóhannsdóttir
“It’s fun to illustrate with embroidery—
it’s like drawing really slowly.”
Words JOHN ROGERS Photo ART BICNICK
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